Maestro Moves Mountains

When compressing from an impact, the trajectory of the swingarm and the direction of the rear wheel dictate how a suspension system performs. Maestro’s nearly vertical, steep-arcing wheel path is the key to its activity, efficiency and independence. A linear shock ratio helps keep suspension travel smooth at its initial stroke and progressive towards the end of its stroke thanks to the nature of air compression.

The result is one of the secrets of Maestro’s “bottomless” suspension feel over the full spectrum of trail impacts.

Many suspension designs suffer poor performance under rear brake activation. When applied, the rear disc brake can sometimes either “drive” or “lift” a suspension swingarm to extension or compression—both undesirable traits when riding through tricky terrain. Because of Maestro’s calculated neutral floating pivot point, the system remains neutral to brake input—creating outstanding suspension performance. The result is perfectly balanced suspension on the roughest descents.

Anti-squat refers to suspension performance under pedaling force. Most suspension designs add a certain amount of anti-squat to stabilize suspension movement while pedaling. Too much anti-squat, and suspension completely locks out under pedaling. Not enough, and suspension will wastefully bounce up and down under acceleration. Getting the balance right is critical, so Maestro suspension utilizes a higher level of anti-squat through the initial 50% of travel—then regresses to less anti-squat through the second-half it its travel. This results in an efficient pedaling platform when riding smooth terrain, but allows for uninhibited suspension travel on larger hits.